Enrollment of Science and Health field growing, Liberal Arts dropping

Zach Olson, Staff Reporter

Merely thinking about the cost of college can create a shiver of fear for most students.  Attending an institution of higher education has never been more important, but unfortunately, it’s never been so expensive, either. As a result of economic pressures, UW-La Crosse students’ adaptations to these pressures are a microcosm of the job insecurity we all face today.

It’s not a secret; college is expensive. The cost of higher education has risen 544 percent since 1985. With the percent of education paid by the state decreasing, the inescapable result is a growing number of students, and their families, finding it necessary to take out student loans. The Credit Bureau Experian estimates 40 million Americans are now under the pressure of student loans. College is becoming increasingly expensive, affirming the importance of establishing a major that best suits students for their futures.

Recent studies conducted by Natalie Solverson, the Director of Institutional Research at UW-L, show certain trends in students’ academic paths. Since 2010, enrollment in the UW-L College of Liberal Studies has dropped seven percent, while enrollment in the College of Science and Health has seen a six percent increase, meaning the College of Science and Health encompasses roughly 52 percent of all students at UW-L. The College of Business Administration has remained fairly constant over the past five years.

Paula Knudson, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UW-L, speculates that these trends are due to the fluctuation from cultural influences. With the expectations of obtaining employment with sufficient means

to repay debt from loans, students are flocking towards areas of expertise that provide the greatest job security post-education.

Knudson said, “The healthcare market is good for careers. There’s a natural job flow for some of those professions.”

However, as economic and job uncertainty hovers over all students, temptations from money can perhaps cloud judgment in academic decisions.

Knudson elaborated, “There’s more pressure to get a job that pays off student debt, as opposed to the love of the field of study. The cost of higher education has gotten in the way of our natural ability to explore.”

Students are now making academic decisions based on the predictability of the job market, however Knudson believes that UW-L as an institution should take a different approach to labeling majors.

“Instead of meeting students and asking the question ‘Hi what are you studying?’” she said, “perhaps we should be asking ‘how do you want to impact the world?’”

UW-L English professor Sharon Jessee has become aware of the decline in enrollment within the College of Liberal Studies, where she has been a professor for 22 years.

“Liberal arts are decreasing, and it’s being driven by economic pressures to find good employment quickly to pay off those student loans. Counselors at high schools are pushing people to go into science and business,” Jessee said.

Throughout her time at UW-L, she has seen the department decrease the amount of literature majors from roughly 150 to 23.